Multiple electrical outlet fused plug receptacle



1... KOETTER MULTIPLE ELECTRICAL OUTLET FUSED PLUG RECEPTACLE Filed Nov. 2, 1965 Q Q i W! INVENTOR LEGNA XRD KQETTER ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,320,383 MULTIPLE ELECTRICAL OUTLET FUSED PLUG RECEPTACLE Leonard Koetter, 915 Coleman Ave., San Jose, Calif. 95116 Filed Nov. 2, 1965, Ser. No. 586,985 3 Claims. (El. 200-1155) My invention relates to an electrical outlet plug receptacle and its objects, construction and advantages will be pointed out and otherwise become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanling drawing.

An object of the invention is to provide a socket of this type into which a fuse may be inserted so as to safeguard against short circuits in lights or appliances so that if a short circuit should occur, the fuse will burn out, breaking the connection with the main power supply and preventing possible damage to the appliances and Wiring.

A further object of the invention is to provide a socket of this kind in which the electrical contacts have a three point reinforcement and support on the insulated bar means and further coact in providing an additional or dual functioning enabling reception simultaneously of three appliances.

The invention aims to provide a socket of this character in which an insulated shelf is mounted in the socket housing to support an arm of one contact member and the contact element for the fuse and to insulate the arm and contact element from the contact members.

In the said drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the improved receptacle with a fuse element in exploded relation thereto, the receptable being broken away and in section to better disclose the interior;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the receptacle;

FIGURE 3 is a vertical sectional view of the receptacle with a fuse positioned therein, and

FIGURE 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on the plane of line 44 of FIGURE 3.

In said drawing, 9 designates a suitable hollow body or housing of insulation comprising for instance a rectangular portion 10 and an open cylindrical portion 11 extending therefrom. Said housing 9 may be suitably made in sections or in one piece as preferred. Within said portion 10 a bar of insulation 12 is suitably mounted, for instance, by means of interior projections 13 formed on opposite Walls of portion 10 if the body is cast about the bar, the projections filling depressions 14 in the ends of the bar.

Disposed on opposite sides of bar 12 are similar (relatively upper and lower as shown) flexible metallic conductor contact members 15 each having a plurality of yieldable fingers such as 16, 17 and 18. The fingers 16 and 17 of the respective contacts are in line and have distal ends touching or terminating relatively close to bar 12 while the fingers 18 are disposed at a right angle to and between the fingers 16 and 17 and have distal ends engaging shoulders 19 (FIGURE 3) provided at one face of bar 12 at the junction of ribs 20 thereon to effect a threepoint support of each contact member 15 to stabilize the latter.

Outlet socket-engaging metallic conductor prongs 21 and 22 are anchored in a wall of housing 10 and extend exteriorly thereof for plugging into any suitable source of electric current.

Said prong 21 has an angle bridge piece 23 from which extends a foot 24 which is metal-united to the lower contact member 15.

The prong 22 has an angle piece 25 from which an arm 26 extends and preferably terminates in a raised contact element 27 centrally of cylindrical portion 11. Within portion 11 a transverse shelf 28 of insulation which may form part of housing 9 is located. Arm 26 rests on, is insulated and supported by shelf 28.

A metallic conductor 29 has a strip 30 anchored by and between the wall of cylindrical portion 11 and shelf 28 and includes an angular arm 31 metal-united to upper contact member 15.

Forming part of conductor 29 at the top of strip 30 is a ring 32 which is provided with interior screw-threads 33.

In each of three sides or walls of the rectangular portion 10 of the housing is a pair of slots 34 through which the prongs of any suitable conductor means to convey electric current to attached lamps, appliances or any other current-consuming devices may be passed and detachably engaged, the construction shown thus providing plug-in sockets at each of three sides of the receptacle. This is due to the fact that the pair of prongs entering one pair of slots 34 will engage fingers 16 and by the latter be resiliently held against bar 12; the pair of prongs entering another pair of slots 34 will engage fingers 17 and by the latter be resiliently held against bar 12, and the pair of prongs entering the remaining pair of slots 34 will yielda'bly engage fingers 18 and by the latter be resiliently held against bar 12, the contact members thus being supported in a stable manner at all times regardless of whether or not they are engaged or disengaged by the prongs mentioned.

A standard screw-threaded or equivalent replaceable fuse plug 35 by means of its screw threads 36 is adapted to be threaded into screw threads 33 of ring 32, usual conducting engagement being made with raised contact 27 to place fuse 37 of the plug 35 in the electric circuit to protect against short circuit damage to any and all lamps, appliances or other current consuming devices which are connected through my improved plug receptacle with a source of current supply.

It will be clear that in use, my improved outlet receptacle by means of prongs 21 and 22 may be detachably plugged into any suitable source of supply of electric current and that one, two or three current consuming devices may be plugged through the slot 34 into my improved outlet receptacle in the manner traced as to construction and electric circuitry, any and all of the plugged-in devices being protected against damage from short circuiting since excess current to the latter will blow the fuse 37.

Various changes may be made within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. An electrical safety socket comprising an insulated housing, bar means of insulation disposed transversely within said housing, and providing a top, bottom and side wall, contact members, one generally above and one generally below said bar means, each contact member having three fingers engaging said bar means to provide a threepoint support and reinforcement for the contact members as well as to provide three sets of female contacts for the reception simultaneously of three separate electrical appliances, two fingers of one of said contact members being aligned and terminally engaging said top Wall, two fingers of the other contact member being aligned and engaging said bottom wall, the third finger of each contact member being intermediate the other fingers thereof and extending laterally beyond said bar means and contacting the said side wall between said top and bottom walls to reinforce said contact members against torsional displacement, conductor prongs mounted in said housing in a plane intermediate said contact members, one of said prongs leading to one of said contact members, a conductor strip leading from the other contact member provided with a ring, said ring and contact element being arranged for engagement by a fuse plug, the other prong leading to said contact element, said housing having three sets of openings for the reception of the prongs of the three electrical appliances so that the prongs of the respective electrical appliances will engage one finger of each set of female contacts of the contact members, said other prong including an arm supporting said contact element and a shelf of insulating material being carried by and within the housing in spaced relation above said contact members, said arm and contact element resting upon the face of said shelf remote from said contact members, and the upper contact member having a conductor strip extending upwardly and marginally therefrom between the shelf and the housing and reinforced thereby.

2. An electrical safety socket as claimed in claim 1 wherein the bar means is separate from the housing and cooperating means are provided on said housing and bar means for supporting the bar means within the housing comprising depressions on said bar means and projections on the interior of said housing received by said depressions.

3. An electrical safety socket as claimed in claim 1 wherein said side wall of said bar means is provided with shoulders for engagement by the terminals of said third finger.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED References Cited by the Applicant UNITED STATES PATENTS Eaglen. Mehrtens. Doss. Blesi. Eggers. Doss. Shapiro. Fisher. Schmidt. Carpenter. Jenson.

BERNARD A. GILHEANY, Primary Examiner.

H. A. LEWITTER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. AN ELECTRICAL SAFETY SOCKET COMPRISING AN INSULATED HOUSING, BAR MEANS OF INSULATION DISPOSED TRANSVERSELY WITHIN SAID HOUSING, AND PROVIDING A TOP, BOTTOM AND SIDE WALL, CONTACT MEMBERS, ONE GENERALLY ABOVE AND ONE GENERALLY BELOW SAID BAR MEANS, EACH CONTACT MEMBER HAVING THREE FINGERS ENGAGING SAID BAR MEANS TO PROVIDE A THREEPOINT SUPPORT AND REINFORCEMENT FOR THE CONTACT MEMBERS AS WELL AS TO PROVIDE THREE SETS OF FEMALE CONTACTS FOR THE RECEPTION SIMULTANEOUSLY OF THREE SEPARATE ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES, TWO FINGERS OF ONE OF SAID CONTACT MEMBERS BEING ALIGNED AND TERMINALLY ENGAGING SAID TOP WALL, TWO FINGERS OF THE OTHER CONTACT MEMBER BEING ALIGNED AND ENGAGING SAID BOTTOM WALL, THE THIRD FINGER OF EACH CONTACT MEMBER BEING INTERMEDIATE THE OTHER FINGERS THEREOF AND EXTENDING LATERALLY BEYOND SAID BAR MEANS AND CONTACTING THE SAID SIDE WALL BETWEEN SAID TOP AND BOTTOM WALLS TO REINFORCE SAID CONTACT MEMBERS AGAINST TORSIONAL DISPLACEMENT, CONDUCTOR PRONGS MOUNTED IN SAID HOUSING IN A PLANE INTERMEDIATE SAID CONTACT MEMBERS, ONE OF SAID PRONGS LEADING TO ONE OF SAID CONTACT MEMBERS, A CONDUCTOR STRIP LEADING FROM THE OTHER CONTACT MEMBER PROVIDED WITH A RING, SAID RING AND CONTACT ELEMENT BEING ARRANGED FOR ENGAGEMENT BY A FUSE PLUG, THE OTHER PRONG LEADING TO SAID CONTACT ELEMENT, SAID HOUSING HAVING THREE SETS OF OPENINGS FOR THE RECEPTION OF THE PRONGS OF THE THREE ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES SO THAT THE PRONGS OF THE RESPECTIVE ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES WILL ENGAGE ONE FINGER OF EACH SET OF FEMALE CONTACTS OF THE CONTACT MEMBERS, SAID OTHER PRONG INCLUDING AN ARM SUPPORTING SAID CONTACT ELEMENT AND A SHELF OF INSULATING MATERIAL BEING CARRIED BY AND WITHIN THE HOUSING IN SPACED RELATION ABOVE SAID CONTACT MEMBERS, SAID ARM AND CONTACT ELEMENT RESTING UPON THE FACE OF SAID SHELF REMOTE FROM SAID CONTACT MEMBERS, AND THE UPPER CONTACT MEMBER HAVING A CONDUCTOR STRIP EXTENDING UPWARDLY AND MARGINALLY THEREFROM BETWEEN THE SHELF AND THE HOUSING AND REINFORCED THEREBY. 